Attached Cottage Garage Footer Foundation in Need of Repairs

Our attached cottage garage footer foundation was in need of repairs to make it level and so that we could install a side door.

Here we are again, making more repairs to our little attached cottage garage. It’s a work in progress and not an overnight task that’s for sure. Plus, Nate has been learning what to do as he goes. I’m really impressed with how much he has accomplished.

PREP WORK TO REPAIRING FOOTER FOUNDATION

In order to continue to repair the footer foundation, there were a few things to prep inside the garage to begin that task.

Nate added support across the whole width of the garage with a wooden beam and bottle jack. This raised up the sides a bit higher. That way he could cut off old rotten studs on the sides of the garage. Then he attached new studs to the old ones to add support while he made repairs.

He also removed the main garage door, frame, and brackets to make room to repair the footer foundation. Then he was able to remove the rotted sill plate on top of the foundation. He left the bolts that held the sill plates down in the concrete so that when he poured more to repair it, it would act like rebar to hold it together.

REPAIRING ATTACHED COTTAGE GARAGE FOOTER FOUNDATION

Similar to the repairs last time, he placed wooden planks around the original footer to act as the mold for the concrete he would pour in there.

Since we planned to install a side garage door for a separate entrance, he left room for the door where he would not pour concrete and build up the footer in that entrance space.

Before pouring the concrete though, he added concrete screws along the footer to give the concrete something extra to grab onto. He also added a long piece of rebar as well before pouring.

Then he made up the concrete mixture and began pouring. And packed in the concrete to get the air bubbles out. Finally, he smoothed out the concrete and allowed it time to dry out. It wasn’t done perfectly by no means as it’s just our garage and we were not going for perfection for such an old structure. Just something done well diy style and to help make the garage more level and not so crooked looking. And to of course, keep water and bugs out!~

man pouring concrete to repair footer foundation

FINAL RESULT OF THE COTTAGE GARAGE FOOTER FOUNDATION REPAIRS

After the concrete was dry, he removed the wooden plank molds to reveal the new and repaired footer. It turned out so great. Previously, Nate repaired the footer in the back of the garage and this time he repaired the east side of it. The final part would be a little section on the west side. We will come back to that soon.

Nate says you should let the concrete dry for at least 24 to 48 hours. But in his case, he was too excited and removed it a bit earlier so he had to be extra careful as the concrete was still a bit soft and brittle.

He installed treated lumber on top of the new footer and drilled a hole in the wood with expansion anchor bolts. This would be the new sill plate. He also added a sill plate gasket underneath. It’s like a ridged foam material to keep it secure and tight to even prevent bugs from hopefully getting through.

REFLECTIONS OF THE REPAIRS

Repairing our attached cottage garage footer foundation to make it level was a huge labor of love, but turned out so great. It was worth it to maintain the old structure and allow us to continue using it for many more years to come. Or for anyone who ends up renting our house to enjoy as well!

Sometimes you wonder though, is it worth it to even repair. Like wouldn’t it be better to just tear the structure down and rebuilt it? I’m not sure and that might just be a personal decision. For us~ that would have been more expensive and a lot more work and planning.

Again, since we are simply putting lipstick on our beloved pig, we are not going all out. We complete what repairs need to be done at the time, to free up our resources and time for the many other projects we’ve got going on. Not to mention (or as a reminder), while we’re also working full time jobs and on a very tight budget.

Plus, learning to salvage materials and produce less waste has made all these renovations much more meaningful. Maybe not always the easiest, but something we can take pride in by preventing a bit more waste from ending up in the landfill.

Materials & Tools We Used

Pry Bar: This was used to remove the old rotted sill plate on top of the footer foundation.
Hammer: This is used for many things. To remove the rotted sill plate and wooden planks to reveal the completed concrete mold.
Circular Saw: This was used to cut wooden planks for various repair projects. To pour the concrete mold and planks to attach to old studs.
Cordless Drill: This was used to remove screws for many things like the wooden planks held together for the concrete mold. They were removed after the concrete was dry.

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CHECK OUT OUR VIDEOS

Thanks for joining us on this journey! We hope that you will find inspiration watching us learn as we go while we’re attempting to renovate and rebuild this old small historic cottage mostly on our own~ while working full time jobs! Stay tuned for more progress updates ahead. Read more about us here.

You can also watch a video about this here.